Hello Sean, welcome to The Relatable Voice Magazine. Where are you originally from, and how has your background influenced your storytelling?
It’s an easy question that’s always been difficult for me to answer. I’m not really from anywhere. I was born in Wiesbaden, Germany. I come from a military family. My father was a Master Sergeant in the U.S. Army. My mother retired as a GS-15 from U.S. government service. So we moved around all my life. And we never moved down the street. It was always to a different state or continent.
As I got older and on my own, I continued to be comfortable with moving. It was like an internal alarm clock would go off every three years and it was time to go.
I’ve been in various parts of central Texas for on and off, around twenty years now. So that’s probably the closest thing I’ve had to a permanent home base in a long time. But I don’t know if that’s enough to make me a real Texan. So I’m probably classified as a nomad more than anything.
I think being open to the world and different cultures and experiences has definitely broadened my horizons. That’s probably helped with my story-telling. I’m always fascinated with places that are unique in the world. That seems to have found its way into my storytelling. And my father is a painter, mainly with oils. And I can’t draw anything.
So I think I draw with words. It’s something I believe I will do forever.
What inspired you to pursue a career as a screenwriter, novelist, and producer?
Growing up, I was always a film geek, but I never thought about pursuing writing until my mid-20’s. I gravitated towards screenwriting because I thought it would be cheaper than making an independent film. Funny enough, there’s a lot more costs involved than I initially thought. I enjoyed the structure and craft of a screenplay. I learned how to write them through trial and error. I wrote my first screenplay in Cascade, Maryland. Which might as well be on the dark side of the moon from the New York or Los Angeles film scenes.
But I used screenwriting competitions to try and rise through the mountain of worldwide competition. I’ve placed in a number of screenplay festivals with my work. The biggest one was the Nicholl Fellowship, sponsored by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. I’ve had two scripts hit the Nicholl. JOURNEYMAN, a time travel/adventure, and ROLL OF THE DIE, a dark thriller.
I started writing novels, just to see if I could. I’ve discovered some stories seem to be suited to a novel more than a screenplay. It’s another way to get your work out to an audience. I enjoy writing novels, since you’re not constrained by any set structure, other than you want the reader to keep turning the page. I’ve written four novels, and had my first professionally published book, GUNBARREL HIGHWAY, released this past November by a publisher out of New York, The Wild Rose Press. It’s opened up a whole new world.
I produced two documentaries in the Caribbean, and I continue to produce audio productions of my work. I was selected to be a Stephen King Dollar Baby, and I produced an audio production of a favorite short story of his, ONE FOR THE ROAD. That won a number of awards at US and international film and audio festivals.
I like to make things happen any way I can. Through writing, through film, or through audio. It’s fascinating to work with other talented people and bring these projects to life.
How does your approach differ when writing for the screen versus crafting a novel?
Screenwriting is basically a three-act structure. And frankly you’re writing for people who don’t like to read. So the whiter the page, the better. You’re trying to say the most, with the least amount of words. And it’s a dialogue driven medium, since actors will primarily drive your story forward. Scene description and settings and anything incidental to the story is kept to the bare minimum.
In writing a novel, that’s all out of the window. For the most part. You need to craft an interesting story, and you need to keep the pages turning. But you can take your time. You have much more room and time for character development and if you want to bask in parts of your story, you can. Or you can bring the momentum to a complete halt and veer off into back-story or you can go into the minds of your characters and say what they’re thinking. It’s a much broader canvas to tell a story.
But it has to be a story worth telling in whatever medium you choose. That’s paramount.
What’s the most challenging aspect of balancing these three roles, and how do you navigate it?
Writing is a solitary endeavor. If you’re writing for yourself, you’re working on your own personal clock. If you’re writing for agents or managers and you have deadlines to meet, you’re pushing towards those delivery dates. But it’s still you at your desk, hopefully managing your time efficiently. Writing on spec or writing multiple drafts for interested producers and production companies, you’re still writing for yourself. Even if I’m dealing with studio or producer notes, I still have to make those changes or alterations work for me to create something and move the manuscript forward.
Producing is a group effort. It’s up to you to connect with and hire talented people to help bring your vision to life. You have to be able to articulate that vision to actors, editors, studio personnel, sound technicians, executive producers, cast and crew and anybody and everybody through all aspects of production.
You’re working with people and their lives and their schedules. Figuring out how best to allow them to bring their talents to the table. You’re juggling everything.
When I’m producing the audio productions, any hierarchy is out the window. I’m the writer and director and also the one to make sure the ice is cold in the drink coolers in the green room.
Have you created a comfortable space for the actors to work? Are they working well together? Is the sound equipment set and functional? Do the actors know what time to arrive at the studio? Is catering in place? Do I have my scene list ready for the day? Do I know what I want? Can I achieve it in the desired time at the studio?
I have to think of everything and anything. Because one little thing can bring momentum to a halt.
A casting agent friend described me as a train conductor at the studio and there’s some truth to that. It’s a constant flow of actors and scenes and technicians. Am I achieving what I want in the time I have? Is the machine firing on all cylinders? At the end of the day, am I getting what I want in the studio? Studio time is expensive. Am I spending that money wisely?
I love producing. But it is exhausting work. Maybe that’s part of the fun of the whole experience. But I find it to be an amazing juggling act.
Can you share the inspiration behind Gunbarrel Highway and what drew you to tell this story?
I love suspense / thrillers. I can look at my body of work and see that I go back to those type of stories a lot. Everyday people placed in extraordinary situations. This was one of those stories. And I specifically wanted it set in central and southern Texas. There’s something unique about this state and the people that live here. It’s a sense of pride that permeates everything. It’s America, yes, and only one of fifty states, but it’s very Texas. It’s America, but it’s also not. It’s an individual identity, it’s a passport, it’s a lifestyle. It’s a whole world in itself. I’m drawn to telling stories in unique places in the world, and this one belongs in Texas.
I’m also a fan of Elmore Leonard. The way he crafts a story and creates characters that transcend good or bad. Everyone is a shade of gray in his works. I had him in my mind through this whole book. His writing has an easy page-turner vibe about it. I’ve been very pleased to see some of the reviews point that out. A page-turner you can’t put down. That’s what I wanted. A fast and fun read that takes you on twists and turns you didn’t see coming.
The title Gunbarrel Highway is intriguing—what does it signify in the context of the book?
A man on the run with the whole world out to get him. An environment full of treachery and deceit. Throw in an abundance of firearms. A character staring down the barrel as he continues on a downward spiral. I played with different titles as I worked through the story but Gunbarrel Highway just seemed to fit like a glove.
Funny enough there is a Gunbarrel Highway. It’s an isolated stretch of road through the desolate Australian outback. I’ve never been there but I can imagine it’s some hard terrain and endless miles of bad and lonely road. That seemed to be parallel to my lead character’s mindset.
And living here in Texas, I’ve noticed a kinship between Texans and Australians. There seems to be a comfort and similarity between the two places. It’s hot as hell. A lot of vast empty space. And all the plant and animal life seems to be designed to hurt you. Cities, country, desert, coast-line. All in one place.
The title was one of the last things I came up with. Probably towards the last 1/3 of the book as I was working my way through the material. But when I had it, I knew that was it. When you come up with a good title, you just know it.
What themes or messages do you hope readers will take away from Gunbarrel Highway?
I write like I’m the only person in the theater watching the movie unfold. If people want to join me, that’s great. But I’m creating the story for me, mainly to see how it all comes out. What you hope comes next is how people interpret it. That’s been fascinating to read the reviews and hear interpretations and meanings that I didn’t see, but people picked up on them. I can’t say if they’re wrong or right. It’s out of my hands at this stage. You can’t guide people one way or another. It’s a flow you can’t pinpoint or manage. I do hope the overall response is that people enjoy it. And for those who don’t. Maybe they’ll like the next one.
When you're not writing or producing, what are your favorite ways to unwind or find inspiration?
I have a border collie named Finn who is my best friend and personal trainer. He’s right there to start my day and also comes and tells me when I’ve been at the computer long enough. Finn and I go on a long walk through the countryside every morning and I’ve grown to love that quiet, peaceful experience.
I work as a bartender at Andalusia Whiskey in Blanco, Texas. It’s hard work but I love the job. It’s a great group of people I work with and there’s always interesting characters walking through the door. It’s a wellspring of inspiration.
We have an outdoor movie screen on the Hill Country property, and I love watching old drive-in type movies outside under the stars. I have a chiminea fire going and a sea salt & lime beer in hand and I’m comfortable and content.
I’m healthy and happy. Life is simple, and good. And right now I’ll take that.
Can you tell us more about Audible Parade and the type of projects you're currently focusing on?
I started Audible Parade in 2018 with my sister Heather. We make movies for your mind. It’s a throwback to the way they used to tell stories, like radio dramas. But we use modern distribution systems to get them out to an audience.
We record actors working together in a studio setting. Then we add in background and sound effects and music to bring their performances to life. It’s a nice combination of theater and radio. It’s another way to get stories out to an audience.
I enjoy the entire production process and always have fun working with actors. We’ve done this enough that I have my own Mercury Theatre On The Air troupe. We try and bring this group of performers back for each project. Talented people we love to work with, and we always find new voices to bring into the fold.
We enjoy creating these audio productions here in the Texas Hill Country, and we continue to do it today. In fact we’re due for another long studio session to wrap up our latest full-length audio production. I look forward to those productive days molding and crafting the scenes around the microphones.
TRIPLE SIX was a multi-episode production working with around 70 voice actors across all the episodes. They’re available to hear on Audible and other podcast platforms.
I was selected to be a Stephen King Dollar Baby, and I picked his vampire short story, ONE FOR THE ROAD, to bring to life. That was such a fun production, and we won a slate of festival awards.
And we were so pleased to partner with San Antonio actress Patricia Zamora on the audiobook for GUNBARREL HIGHWAY. She brought nine hours to life and made my pages walk and talk. I’m such a fan of her work.
What exciting projects are you working on next, and can you give us a sneak peek?
Through Audible Parade, we’re currently wrapped around a thriller / horror production of PARASITE ZERO. It’s so big I’ve spilt it up into two parts. Part One, which consists of Chapters 1 to 10, will come out in early 2025. And Part Two, which continues the story with Chapters 11 to 20 will come out towards the end of the year. It’s basically a full-length audio book working with over 50 voice actors.
I really enjoyed and learned so much about the process of working with editors and proof-readers on my last novel manuscript. Their input and professional eyes and skills were so influential, and I realized how valuable they are in the creation of a proper novel at the end of the line. I’m taking one of my self-published books, ON THE BAYOU and working on it with my editors. I’m looking at the notes from my first editor and I’ll make those corrections and send it off to The Wild Rose Press in early 2025. We’ll see if they want to pick it up for publication. It’s a favorite work of mine and I would love to have it professionally published as well.
I wrote a screenplay, HIGH MOON that I’ve always wanted to see come to life. Not as a book or audio production but as a film. It’s a spaghetti werewolf western story that takes place in the deserts of West Texas in 1959.
We’re shooting a Proof-of-Concept short film and trailer for the production this April.
Lucia Matuonto is on-board as a Producer out of Spain. Together we have formed ILD Productions to tackle this fun throwback to the films of Sergio Leone, John Carpenter and George Romero. It’s a dream project that I’ve always wanted to bring to life. I’m working with a visual FX team out of France, and we’ll shoot the POC & Trailer in central Texas this Spring. Pieces are falling into place and right now it’s full steam ahead. I can’t wait to share more about this as the adventure unfolds.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers and producers looking to break into the industry?
I’ve only ever felt in competition with myself. Don’t focus on what others are doing, worry about you and your work and your passions. I continue to mold and shape my work and grow my portfolio. I used to really get frustrated at all the never-ending obstacles in the way, but I’ve come to realize that they’re part of the road as well. They may halt your progress, but you learn to navigate through or around them.
The creative world is the dream factory. I’ll never let go of the dream, but the factory aspect always fascinates me. How do you make things work in this industry? You don’t do it alone. I’ve been fortunate and lucky to have connected with some wonderful and amazing and talented people along the way. It’s all part of the journey.
There’s no one right way to do this. But I understand it is a life-long adventure. I do this because I’m going to do this. I’ll always figure out a way. It’s a drive in life that I can’t ignore. I don’t know how. Success is wonderful but I’ve always learned more from my failures. Embrace your mistakes and try again. Pick up the pieces of salvage and move on. Keep trying to perfect what is it that you do. For me, it’s that simple. That’s the spice of life.
Sean Bridges is the author of GUNBARREL HIGHWAY, ON THE BAYOU, 11:34 and ROLL OF THE DIE. He's an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Nicholl award-winning screenwriter. He's a Stephen King Dollar Baby with his festival winning audio production of ONE FOR THE ROAD.
He produced and directed two documentaries in the Caribbean. OUT OF MANY: ONE STRUGGLE FOR EDUCATION about school kids getting a second chance in Kingston, Jamaica. And 20/20 VISION, a look at the development of a global financial hub in Port of Spain, Trinidad. His Audible Parade Productions created a serial audio thriller, TRIPLE SIX and are currently at work on a horror/suspense audio book, PARASITE ZERO.
He lives and works in the Texas Hill Country.
Find out more at https://audibleparade.com/.
Cover story published in The Relatable Voice Magazine - January 2025. Downolad the full magazine at https://www.relatable-media.com/the-relatable-voice-magazine
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